International shipping program

[lovebomb]

Yesterday I was charged a "brokerage fee" by Canada Post. It's what they renamed the "handling fee" when questioning why they applied it. 

They described it as being a fee put in place to apply any due taxes or tariffs when eBay or any online venue does not apply them. This added a significant and "straw that broke the camel's back" fee to my order, that will greatly dissuade me from making international purchases through eBay in the future. I was not charged PST or GST, but no tariffs were due. It was the taxes not being charged that was the problem. Unless eBay makes changes that prevent this type of "brokerage fee" from being applied at the post office, I won't be purchasing internationally very often, maybe never, if I can avoid it. 

To be ultra-clear, it is the handling fee, not the taxes I am angry about. 

Will there be change in the future? Will eBay collect taxes on international orders? Canada Post/Canada Border Services are clearly attempting to force eBay to collect taxes; hence, my question. 

My apologies for asking this question here and on the general forum, but the title of this section implies that eBay administration may see it and respond. Thus I posted it here after the fact. 

[femmefan1946]

The option to respond has disappeared. I didn't get a chance to say that it was a small item but with a significant value, 169 dollars.

If this was coming in from the USA, you pay duty on any item over $150 and tax on any item over $40 under the CMUSA agreement of 2020.

And Canada Post has been ignoring most import fees,not collecting them, and not charging their "service fee" of $9.95 for decades.  Basically it costs them (CBSA &CPO) more to assess and collect import fees than they actually take in.

Some years back a CPO VP was quoted in the Globe & Mail that they only collect import fees on about 93% of small and low value shipments.

With the newish treaty, they may have decided they are not losing money by collecting any more.

You can add reponses by hitting Reply on the original question.

You can direct a response to a member by using @lovebomb . Or @femmefan1946 

[byto253]

Canada Post has always had this fee, but in practice if an item is not to large it usually does not charged.  It is a gamble.  As indicated, interested in knowing the value of the item and was it a larger item?   

[lovebomb]

The option to respond has disappeared. I didn't get a chance to say that it was a small item but with a significant value, 169 dollars.

[byto253]

It is always been a roll of the dice for an item like that if it goes through without the fee or tax being charged. Just like when you cross the border, the border agent will often waive you through without requiring you to pay the HST, but other times you are required to pay.

[marnotom!]

What was the value of the shipment and what were you charged?

Canada Border Services doesn’t start hitting mailed items with tax and brokerage charges unless the item exceeds C$20 in declared value. The tax-free limit is C$40 for items sent by courier.

I’m also wondering if Canada Post may have collected this charge on behalf of another carrier that handed the package off to them once it reached a Canadian shipping hub.